Artist Series: Anne Kunkle, saxophone and Sharon Johnson, piano

Anne Kunkle, saxophone and Sharon Johnson, piano Anne Kunkle is an award-winning saxophonist and educator based in Rochester, New York, whose performance career spans solo, chamber, and large-ensemble repertoire. A passionate advocate for contemporary music, she is dedicated to expanding the role of the saxophone through innovative programming, collaboration, and performances that connect with diverse audiences. Kunkle made her Chicago debut at the Chicago Cultural Center as First Prize winner of the 2018 Musician’s Club of Women Competition. As soprano saxophonist of the Khroma Saxophone Quartet, she earned the Silver Medal at the 2019 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. She has performed at distinguished venues including Lincoln Center and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and internationally at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing and Singapore’s Esplanade Theatre. Her international engagements include performances and a recording of Shostakovich’s music with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Andrew Litton, as well as performances with the Eastman Saxophone Project. An active soloist and chamber musician, Kunkle regularly collaborates with living composers and is committed to bringing new music to audiences. She has premiered works by emerging and established composers and actively seeks opportunities to expand the saxophone repertoire. Her programming reflects a broad range of musical styles and perspectives, with an emphasis on creating engaging performances for audiences both within and beyond traditional concert settings. Kunkle is a founding member of Keystring, a unique trio for harp and two saxophones. The ensemble was awarded a grant from the American Harp Association to commission and premiere a new work by composer Amy Nam. She has also performed extensively as a member of the Eastman Saxophone Project, one of the world’s leading saxophone ensembles, where she served as Assistant Director and chief arranger. Her work with the ensemble involved innovative programming, large-scale performances, and collaborative projects designed to showcase the versatility and expressive possibilities of the saxophone. As a performer, Kunkle is committed to maintaining a broad and active musical practice. She frequently collaborates with colleagues and ensembles at the local, national, and international levels and regularly attends conferences and professional gatherings to remain engaged with developments in the saxophone field. She views performance and teaching as complementary aspects of her career, with her experiences on stage continually informing her work as an educator and mentor. Kunkle holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Saxophone Performance and Literature, with a minor in Music Theory, from the Eastman School of Music. During her doctoral studies, she performed with the Eastman Wind Ensemble and served as Assistant Director and chief arranger of the Eastman Saxophone Project. She also holds a Master of Music from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelor of Music in Saxophone Performance and Instrumental Music Education, with High Distinction, from Eastman. She completed Eastman’s Arts Leadership Program and was inducted into Pi Kappa Lambda, the national music honor society. Her principal teachers include Chien-Kwan Lin and Debra Richtmeyer. Anne Kunkle is a Selmer Artist and performs on Selmer Paris saxophones. Pianist Sharon Johnson has been heard on Minnesota Public Radio and WFMT Radio in Chicago;with the Greensboro Symphony and the Greensboro Philharmonia; in guest artist recitals at the North Carolina Museum of Art and Dickinson State University; First Friday series in Wooster, Ohio; the Baltimore Composers Forum in Maryland; and at the Schubert Club Courtroom Concert Series. She is actively involved in the premieres of new works on a regular basis: in fall 2003, she gave the Minnesota premiere of Ned Rorem’s chamber work, Aftermath. Along with baritone, David Klassen, she initiated a new concert series for young artists in Steinbach, Manitoba. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dr. Johnson gave the world premiere of Juliana Hall’s Peacock Pie (for solo piano) as well as Hall’s Songs of Enchantment (with soprano, Carrie Shaw) at the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis. She has performed in recital with Immanuel Davis, Jean del Santo, and Clifton Ware. Johnson served as invited pianist for the master classes of Keith Underwood at the University of Minnesota, and Eugene Rousseau at Shell Lake, Wisconsin. In addition she has served as one of the official accompanists for the International Tuba/Euphonium Conference and the International Double Reed Society Conference (including the world premiere of Richard Faith’s Trio for Bassoon, Oboe, and Piano). As primary keyboard/assistant director of the Continental Singers she has toured the United States, Asia, and Europe. Her performances in master classes and coachings include Nathaniel Rosen, Alexa Still, Emmanuel Pahud, Sherrill Milnes, Håkan Håkagaard, Martin Isepp, Martin Amlin, Ken Griffiths, Anne Epperson, Jean Barr, Zvi Zeitlin and Pierre Vallet. She has been heard on Minnesota Public Radio as pianist for the Ted Mann Vocal Quartet. In addition to recital collaborations with colleagues, Johnson is one half of the duo piano team, Music By Two, with pianist Nancy Davis. Their repertoire includes compositions that range in style from romantic to 20th century to sacred. Since the spring of 2005, Music By Twohas given multiple premieres of Eric Ewazen’s Sonata for Two pianos. During 2007, the duo gave the North Carolina premiere of an unpublished work by Lowell Liebermann (Three Lullabies, Op. 76); as well, a re-discovered four-hand piano work by Louise Talma was premiered in a concert at The Library of Congress, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the MacDowell Colony. Music By Two has recently contracted with Scott Management Agency for artist management (www.scottmanagementagency.net); their first CD project is planned in the near future. Johnson has also formed a partnership with saxophonist Chisato Eda Marling. They perform together as Duo du Soleil. Educated at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Johnson received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in piano performance. She completed her DMA in collaborative piano with Margo Garrett and Tim Lovelace at the University of Minnesota (where she was a teaching assistant and Denny Scholar). Her dissertation examines text choice and setting in selected songs of Judith Zaimont, Libby Larsen, and Juliana Hall. Johnson has held faculty positions at Greensboro College as coach/accompanist for the opera workshop productions; The Music Center of Greensboro, as a private instructor; director/instructor at the Wesleyan Institute of Music and Arts; as faculty member of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro’s Summer Piano Camp; and is a charter faculty member of the Vivace String Camp (piano/collaborative faculty). Thanks to the generosity of our presenting sponsors, we are pleased to provide quality musical programming at no charge to the public. — Event Details: https://hub.houghton.edu/rsvp?id=385565